Living with Vitiligo – face vitiligo camouflage process to hide white patches
This won’t work for everyone but it’s how I manage my face for vitiligo camouflage and I hope maybe it will help others.
Before we get into it, the most important part is to love the skin you’re in, vitiligo really is beautiful, and if you have the confidence to not hide it, that’s even better! For me I am bold and free with my body but like to camouflage my face.
My Vitiligo story
Having had vitiligo since the age of 13 it has taken me some time to learn how to really manage it. My first patch was a halo mole on my chest, which remained the only patch for a few years. However, in my late teens it began to spread and has continued since. I now have patches all over my body, hands and face; chest, arms, wrists, belly, back, hips, crutch, knees, ankles and feet.
The day it spread to my face was by far the most challenging and something I’m still yet to gain enough confidence to let go bare. I genuinely love the body patches now, they’re unique and make me me.
What is Vitiligo
Vitiligo it an autoimmune skin condition whereby melanocytes are destroyed, leading to depigmented of the skin. Leaving you with white patches that will not tan and have no natural sun protection. It’s purely cosmetic but does leave your skin with zero natural sun protection. Vitiligo camouflage can be tough.
My face
I want to share how I keep my face protected and camouflaged. It is important to note that this is what works for me with a light white complexion, it might not work for everyone. It is also not something that will work over night, but if you start this tomorrow then it will start working in a few months’ time!
So here it is, how I protect and keep my facial vitiligo protected. This make up is also relevant for sports where you want your make up to stay perfect, even if you’re covered in sweat and mud.
Here’s how I do vitiligo camouflage on my face:
I also recommend taking U Perform Active Collagen to support a smoother, healthier skin complexion. More information here and get 10% off.
Step one – sunscreen
Always wear full block / high factor sunscreen to ensure there is never any tan on your face. With vitiligo the normal skin will tan and colour but the vitiligo will not. The result is an increased contrast between the patches and your skin. No tan reduces the contrast between the two skin areas. Sunscreen will over time enable your skin to pale in tone and give a reduced contrast to the patches.
Step two – fake tan!
Apply a form of fake tan to your face every night before bed. This will give your face a natural glow of colour in the absence of any sun. The darkness I use varies across the year based on my body’s tan. So in summer when I get a natural tan on my body I use a darker tan. I use Zanderm and it’s incredible. Have a play about with their test shades for the best colour as it will be specific to you which ones best suit your skin tones. Use this every night to give some colour to your face. I often give a small top up in the morning pre make up too if needed. Note you should also exfoliate at least once a week to keep the tan even.
Start with a primer, I use Maybelline Baby Skin Primer to give a nice smooth base. Then Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation. I use two colours, a lighter and darker, and mix them to match my body’s tone. This is due to my body changing colour through the year and so enabling me to adapt my face colour to match. Make sure you blend down your neck, so you don’t get a line. Estée Lauder is a more expensive option, but it really is worth it. The foundation stays on considerably longer than any of the high street brands I’ve tried – you really do get what you pay for.
Next is an important step! You then need to set the foundation with a fixing powder. I use Essence All About Matt Powder to keep the foundation in place. This is around £5 so nothing fancy.
For my eyes I use a waterproof eye shadow and Estée Lauder Sumptuous Waterproof mascara with a waterproof liquid glitter eye shadow. These do not shift, move, smudgy or vanish with intense sports, mud and sweat.
Vitiligo makeup cover up product list – are all available here:
Gaddrt Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow
Essence All About Matt Powder
Avon True Glow Bronzing Pearls
Products for vitiligo camouflage
I also recommend taking U Perform Active Collagen to support a smoother, healthier skin complexion. More information here and get 10% off.
Please see my vitiligo camouflage make up tutorial here:
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
If you’ve ever wondered about our little home garage setup, please do watch this. This is our dream garage!
Our dream garage
From the foundations up we’ve built this workshop to our very own specifications and absolutely love it! We probably spend more time in the garage than any other room in our little 2-bedroom house too!
It’s worth nothing that we don’t live in some huge fancy house, it’s a modest 2-bedroom end of terrace. We had an 18 metre garden with off road parking and decided to know it down and build a double garage.
I’d love to hear what you think, what do you love, what are we missing? What makes a dream garage for you? I’m a huge Teng Tools lover so it’s got to be Teng.
Here you’ll see a sneak peak into what we have in the garage. Key items of mention:
Teng Tools – red units, tools and EVA control systems [foamed tools]
Cardo Systems – intercoms
Wiltech – hydraulic bike lift
Karcher – petrol jet wash
Draper – car jack
DeWalt – power tools
Parkside – pillar drill
Duramat – rubber matting
Hebo trials and enduro kits and helmets
Leatt – body armour and kit
Rabaconda – enduro tyre changer
Two dream garage tour versions to watch:
Full video tour:
22 minute detailed tour – everything covered
https://youtu.be/GlL4QxBw7hg
Mini dream garage tour:
6 minute sneak peak – just the highlights
https://youtu.be/0aN6meWpBEw
If you’d like to see the kit we have in here please see my Amazon store:
I do make a small commission for any Amazon buys through their affiliate programme so thank you in advance if you do shop. It all helps me keep the content coming 🥰
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
Looking for your first bike or taste of off road…I think I’ve just found your perfect ride. Introducing the Sinnis Blade X
….which has completely blown my expectations. As a 125cc Suzuki engine powered agile little bike it has an incredibly low 91 cm height seat, smooth power delivery and 100 mile range. It’s an absolute bundle of fun. Being honest, I didn’t think I’d fall for the Blade X but having taken it out on the Wiltshire lanes for five hours today I think it’s an absolute winner of a first bike for anyone wanting to get some mud on them and pop around town. It withstands drops with out any complaints, the weight is low and manoeuvrable giving confidence, and it’s small capacity means it’s highly forgiving (no unexpected back flips like some of the more mainstream enduro bikes). Confidence builder 100%!
Sinnis Blade X review
It’s not going to be for everyone, especially those on the tall side, but for someone starting out and wanting a bike to develop on, even with ‘L’ plates…it’s perfect. And from only £2399 new. Only thing I’d say is the peg ground clearance was a little on the low side for some of Wiltshire’s charming ruts and I’d definitely want to put some better rubber on.
Who’s ridden one or even heard of Sinnis? I never like to mock anything until I’ve tried it, hence taking one out for a play. OK…so I’m not going to rock up at a Hard enduro on one but that’s not what it’s for!
If you’re wanting to get into riding and a little off roading this is like a winner winner chicken dinner!
See my Sinnis Blade X riding review here
And Sinnis Blade X technical review here:
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
Two girls, Megs and The Girl On A Bike, passionate about dirt biking chatting about a whole array of topics submitted by you! Get in touch to request a topic!
Progressing enduro and hard enduro riding takes energy and dedication, it doesn’t just happen so here’s how Megs and I approach upping our game, and it ultimately comes down to dedicated practice. I’ve written this following our live chat on the topic – you can watch it here:
Dedicated practice
So what is dedicated practice? It’s focusing on an individual element of a skill or riding so homing in and spending a chunk of time solely focusing on that. Consider it like doing drills, over and over again.
It’s important as it enables you to really develop and get the movement into the muscle memory. Once you reach the point of it being subconscious you free up your mental capacity for other areas. Such as reading the terrain ahead, which will actually then help you go faster. Think of the Dakar riders who are able to ride at +80mph sucking up the sand dunes and unknown terrain while following a paper scrolling navigation on their bars using cap headings. Without muscle memory this would be impossible.
Examples of dedicated practice drills:
figures of 8 whether that’s big and fast or slow and balanced
de-weighting the front wheel
going up a hill climb
static balance stands
clutch over brake use on hills
controlled braking down hill
What’s my favourite dedicated enduro practice?
For me it has to be logs, although they always scare me. With practice I’m starting to be able to hit bigger and bigger things. Logs come in so many shapes and sizes, with different run ups and exists, then you add wet conditions and it’s a different board game. My least favourite has to be corners unfortunately. I’ve been spending time on figure of 8 drills and have definitely improved but put me in an unknown terrain or a flat bend and I’m not yet at a point of really trusting the side tread and wanging it around a corner to what ever I face next. Lot’s more practice needed.
Hard enduro tyre obstacle on Husqvarna TE 15i
Two areas of dedicated practice
There are two areas of riding where dedicated practice can really help.
The first is with dialling in your current skills. The things you are doing most of the time you’re riding. These are going to progress your riding in your current areas, get your speed up, increase your control and handling, but you won’t necessarily be able to tackle the next level yet.
And then you have the progression in terms of new skills where you’re really stepping forward into new areas. An easy example is when you first start de-weighting the wheel, this then opens a progression trail that leads to logs, steps and even rock beds.
Photo by Phill Hodges
How to identify your practice point?
If you’re like me when I first heard about dedicated practice, you might be wondering what are your areas to focus on? Here are some ideas to find yours:
The obvious is spotting your weakness, what are you not so good at, or maybe even suck at?
If that’s not obvious how about the area you’re slowest at? Does everyone accelerate past you while you’re struggling for traction? Maybe you wobble the second things get slow and technical?
What about the area you least enjoy? Quite often the area that needs to the most work is the area we’re the least good at. It is natural to find the least enjoyment in the bit you find the hardest. It’s harder, maybe that comes to mind?
Then you have confidence. Confidence often comes with experience and skill, so if the confidence is low that could be a clue to an area that needs more focus. Say logs always terrify you. I guarantee if you spend enough time drilling logs over and over in a mix of conditions, you’ll be come so normalised that you’ll get confidence.
If you’re still sat there thinking…ummm I can’t think of an area… there are two possibilities, either you are GForce Jarvis and an absolute pro… or … more likely….you’re just not quite focused your mind on your riding enough. Maybe ask a friend what they think your weaker area is. Friends are normally ace at knowing and a good friend will be honest with you!
I was terrified of downhills but with practice, going round and round I am starting to normalise the fear:
Tackling those practice points
Next it is time to talk about actually working on them. You need to figure out an exercise to focus in. Cornering is an easy example with figure of 8s. Standing, sitting, up / down, burms, off camber, flat, gravel, rutted, sand.
Find a way to ride them as much as you can. If you don’t have a dedicated area you can train, when you go our trail riding, try to dedicate ten minutes every time you ride. Find a space where you’re not going to upset anyone and focus in on that skill.
Using friends to give you a visual or even video yourself is a great way to get analysis. So often I think I’m burning round a corner, elbows up, weight forward…and then I see the video and it barely looks like I’m even trying. Video is a great tool for self-analysis!
If you’re not sure on the technique get on to some online tutorials, YouTube is an obvious start and Megs has loads!
Find new terrain, new locations, new spots to ride, travel and get some riding time with new people.
How do you identify new areas to improve
We’ve worked on weakness but how do we then work out how to really step things up!
It’s not just about getting better at what you do, it’s also about growing your riding skill set. So how do we identify them?
The obvious one is having a go when you naturally come across new terrain out riding. It might be a small bank or a little log, something you’ve not tried before. Make sure it is a sensible thing to try given your skills and give it ago.
I find riding with people who are better than me, which is not hard to find, really helps me grow. It gives me inspiration on what is possible and friends right there who know the best tips to help me grow.
You then have a more planned and structural way of aspiring to learn something. Take the obvious like wheelies. Do the research online first, get your head around what you need to do and then get out and try it.
Dedicated practice to drill in those skills
Learning frustration
An important factor when pushing your riding to the next level is understanding that it can take time. It can take hours and hours of practice, fall after fall and many bike drops. You might also nail is one day and then completely fail the next. This is why dedicated practice is needed, keep at it until it is so dialled in you get to a consistence performance. Don’t give up! You might also want to seek some help from others or video yourself and double check some online tutorials as it could be a small tweak in your body could get you there.
But don’t give up. Rome was not built in a day and progressing can take a lot of sweat and bruises.
How far to push
Having said that…it is also vital to understand how far to push yourself and know when you’re at your limits. To progress you have to leave your comfort zone but it’s important to only push so far. Enduro and hard enduro can be very demanding and dangerous sports so it’s about making calculated risks. Push beyond your limits but in a safe way. I guess it is the difference between being brave and stupid!
No when to give up, here I tired three times and knew it was time to walk away, live for another day and conquer that hill/step next time.
You must leave your comfort zone to grow, but remember the difference between bravery and stupidity!
The Girl On A Bike
It’s also important to know when to quit. Maybe today is just not the day. Walk away and try again another day. This could be particularly important when the conditions are not right. Don’t set a be all and end all goal on learning to wheelie on a wet day, it’s just not sensible. Try something else.
So that’s what we have! I hope that’s been helpful, I’d love to hear your thoughts so please do get in touch via my social channels!
Get out and ride, and stay safe.
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
If you want to understand what a Rabaconda is and how it can help you, please keep reading my Rabaconda review.
Is changing tyres your absolute nemesis? Something always painful, emotional and one to avoid! That inner fight between wanting to have nice fresh rubber and putting off the dreaded tyre change?
Rabaconda tyre changer
Sounds like me. I pushed tyres until I might as well have been on slicks just to avoid the pain of doing a tyre change. But then I succumbed and got the Rabaconda. Where an earth has this magic tool been all my biking life!
You might be sceptical that this ‘magic’ devise can actually help as much as people say. Just another highly priced gimmick to add to the man cave…. I’ll be honest, I seriously questioned how anything could make something soooo horrific ‘easy’…surely it’s just the pros who can manage in sub 5 minutes!?
Well…I’m no pro…and YES it really is that good! [and I’m not being paid to say it]
Fast forward two afternoons and I’m absolutely converted. I’ll never be without a Rabaconda again. So let’s get into it.
What is a Rabaconda?
In a nutshell it’s a tyre changing tool designed for ergonomic use to minimise the pain and physical requirements of changing a tyre [including mousses] while hugely reduce the time required. The Rabaconda enables bead breaking and huge leverage onto the tyre making it effortless, it even makes rim locks easy.
The Rabaconda is an absolute garage essential as far as I’m concerned.
It’s madness how having the right tools and following the pros directions [I watched how to videos first – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-nPR8LXG_I] and then practiced…it’s actually totally achievable as a ‘normal’ person.
I challenge you to grab some rubber and give the tyre change race a go!
We can take it from the PROs
The Rabaconda is without a doubt the quickest and easiest way to change your tyre. There is a reason it’s the only tyre change you’ll see on the racing scene. It is race tested by over 80 top riders and factory teams across the globe. Simply search ‘fastest motorcycle tyre change’ on YouTube and I’m confident they’ll all be using a Rabaconda.
Christophe Charlier in action with the Rabaconda
But also take it from me…and I’m NO PRO
Get in!! 4 min 22 second ‘axle to axle’ tyre change with mousse and rim lock! That was my best time after an afternoon practicing. See YouTube video here. I did roughly 8 changes to hone my skills, getting my time from well over 18 minutes down to sub 5 minutes. The bit I was really loose the time on is actually the wheel extraction and refit, I kept getting the chain and brake calliper caught. I think I could probably knock another 30 seconds of it I got that smoother.
Tyre changer review
Get the Rabaconda and get practicing!
How do you get better at changing tyres? You practice! I utilised home lock down to take on the Michelin tyre change challenge and in one afternoon playing with the Rabaconda I got the time down to 4 min 22 sec for an axle to axle change!
Here’s my first afternoon practicing:
I managed to get my time from over 18 minutes to 5 min 27 seconds.
The techy bits
Rabaconda Features
Rigid and durable construction
Light weight
Tyre lever tray at comfortable height
Strong Cordura 1000D carry-bag for comfortable and compact storage
Quick-release bolts for fast switching between wheel sizes
Bead breaker positioning system
Oval profile lever with good grip
Premium quality product. Made in EU.
Rabaconda Technical Info
Suitable for wheel sizes 16-21 inches
Carry-bag dimensions: 70 x 28 x 25 cm
Materials: galvanised and powder coated steel, anodised T6061-T6 aluminium
Here’s me using the Rabaconda for a 4 minutes 22 second tyre change:
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
Looking for a good motorcycle April Fools idea? Look no further. Here’s my 2020 prank:
Time for some engine upgrades to the TE300i! If you’ve been dreaming of more power than you can handle this is the mod for you! Today I’m using my home lock-down for some increased performance by changing the Husky’s powerband from the standard ‘black’ to the killer ‘red band’. This is going to deliver more peak horsepower to the beast. Let’s hope I can handle it!
Who else has done a powerband upgrade? It’s super easy to do. Simply take the cylinder head off and swap them out. I got my powerband upgrade direct from Husqvarna UK.
With the world increasingly joining the global fight against covid-19 and going into lock down. I’m finding ways to keep myself entertained at home, but also working to improve my bike fitness. I’m is determined that the time isolating at home can be used to improve our riding through working on balance.
The best bit? My challenges are all designed to be done with the items most of us have at home. No bike is needed!
Here is the first in my new series of balance training videos to help us all keep sane while isolating at home but also helping to progress our motorcycle training. Balance is a fundamental element to riding, especially when you start to hit more technical terrain.
Head over to my YouTube and make sure you hit subscribe to see future balance training videos.
Challenge on
So, how far can you make it? Are you a level 1, 2, 3 or 4
sock-bike balance master? Get out and try and be sure to tag us and @thegirlonabike in your
videos!
The goal is to give us all some challenges, keep us fit and active, progress out motorcycle skills but also just keep us entertained!
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
Let’s sit this one out. Yes…the bike is calling you. Mine is too. But the world needs to come together and fight this battle!
As I write this over 35k people have been reported dead from covid-19. This is no drill, this is not a game or something that doesn’t apply to you. We must stop the spread so please listen and heed your governments’ directions on going out.Moto distancing responsibly means stay home.
In the UK it’s full lock down. No going out unless you’re an
essential worker, such as our incredible NHS teams, police or those helping
keep the nation going [such as energy, food, infrastructures], or for essential
food and medicines, or helping the vulnerable.
It is hard being home.
It can be lonely, boring, isolating and claustrophobic. But there are lots of things we can be doing to help ourselves. Here’s some of my ideas:
Make a list of things you can achieve – that might
be baking that new recipe, painting the bathroom, fixing that niggle on your
bike or writing that article
Build a new routine, keep your alarm set and
have a plan [mine goes off at 6am to kick start the day]. Even just changing rooms
in the house can help give a new perspective
Use technology to keep connected – video apps
and social media are great for socialising
Rekindle those drifted friendships, I bet they’re
feeling as in need of a chat as you are
Find some online videos for a home workout [try
my sock balance challenge on YouTube]
Plan your food so you don’t let any go to waste,
spreading the favourites out
Do at least one thing a day to expand your mind
[TED talks, online tutorials]
Watch the news, but don’t overload – this level
of death and suffering is too much for an individual to know all about all day
long
Find ways to reward yourself, maybe that bag of
popcorn or chocolate when you’ve hit your goals [I don’t eat sugar so a pickled
onion is one of my favs #truestory]
Keep a pen and pad with you and make a note of
things you’re grateful for when they hit you, this list will bring a lot of
smiles over time and great for reflection later
Make sure you turn on notifications for my page and hit subscribe on my YouTube – I’ll help keep you entertained with my daily shenanigans [yes that includes terrible attempts at kicking loo roll…see post below]
Above all, stay home, stay safe and save lives.
If you have any other ideas please, please comment below or get in touch via social media! Together, united we WILL get through this!
My thoughts are with everyone impacted by covid-19
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
I survived…My first British Championship Enduro – BEC enduro
Making the step up to national championship level racing is hard enough without brutal storm conditions turning it into one of the toughest races in recent British Championship BEC enduro history. Let me tell the tail…
The BEC enduro was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. 6 hours in the saddle with zero breaks or food stops and a track that entailed largely dirty, dirty, muddy, rutty, rooty and boggy woodland. I’m mega chuffed with myself for sticking with it and making it around but honestly, I felt a tad broken by the end. But I was still smiling!
Why make the step up to British Championship? Was it a step into the deep end for you?
Honestly, I didn’t over think the decision to race my first British Championship. Previously I’d done several Rallymoto races and a round of the Scottish Championship, I’ve been riding and training hard. Trying the BEC enduro just felt like a logical next step. Whether I would make it or survive was on the periphery of my mind, I wasn’t there to win, I was there to ride and enjoy the experience. Push myself to a new challenge. Other people manage it so why can’t I give it ago? Afterall, what’s the worst that can happen? I don’t make the finish line? At least I would have a crack trying, hopefully have a fun day riding and maybe make some new friends.
But what I didn’t expect was quite how brutal the race would
be. Talk about jumping in the deep end. At 5 points I was near thigh deep in
mud with a 96kg bike suctioned in like a dead elephant. The organisers had set
some pretty painfully tight check point times and I was constantly on catch up.
To put it into perspective… Of 73 riders in clubman 37 of
us did not finish…that’s half the riders DNF!! That just shows how mental and
physical it was. Storm Ciara certainly gave us a battering too. It was
demanding in a way I’ve never experienced. And when the fatigue kicks in you
start to make little mistakes, which cost even more energy.
Did I do any special bike prep for the race?
I was riding a new 2020 Husqvarna TE 250i and so it really
is pretty race ready on buying, at least for my level of riding. I put on some new
Metzeler rubber and of course all the usual like fresh oil and air filters. My
next prep is getting the right weighted WP suspension spring on as that will
hugely help – I’m not the average 85 kg rider.
Did I do plenty of course walking on the Saturday? How was the atmosphere in the paddock and on the course?
The atmosphere when we arrived on Saturday was one of busy
anticipation. I was amazed by how many people were there. Mega vans and race
wagons parked as far as the eye could see. The whole course walking was a new
thing for me, and I was amazed by how seriously it’s taken. Some, walking each test
as many as three times and even using Strava to track the route to help them
memories the ‘left, left, right, left’ turns of the course.
My intention was to walk both special tests on Saturday,
however…our van had a different idea. Halfway there the front brake calliper
seized on. Wheel off on the side of the road we got it released but it took a
chunk of the day light. We managed to walk the second test and just had to go
with it for the first test.
Given the terrain was not highly technical it didn’t make me
feel too nervous. I wasn’t there to win so it probably wouldn’t help me too
much anyway. It’s a lesson for next time – get there earlier!
What experience did I have of time card enduro – did it all make sense, how easy was it to get my head around to rules and the maths?
I’d previously done three timecard events, so it wasn’t new
but still used some brain power to work out. You have a series of check points
and the time you need to make them by. Sounds simple right? Add a storm and
some very tight times…then it’s not so simple. By check point one I was only a
few minutes behind but by the end of the day I was 75 minutes behind, meaning I
didn’t make the final check point start time.
I kept my timecard tucked in my backpack strap pocket and
actually got praise from marshals for how clean it was. But having this to hand
is important for check points.
How was the course on the opening lap/how did the event begin for me?
Oh my, I can still feel the terror and throbbing beat of my
heart as I sat on the start line. There were people everywhere and my time to
leave was fast approaching. In those moments my mind seems to dramatize everything,
questioning what on earth I’m doing there. But, then you start and within 5-10
minutes I seem to find my flow and forget about the fears. I’m out there alone,
just me and my bike and I’m riding tackling the terrain 10 metres at a time. I
love that feeling, especially with the whole track ahead of me.
My first impressions of the track was probably being a
little surprised by how tight it was with the trees. I was lucky to not clip my
knuckles, but I saw many plastic bike parts and notches out of trees where
others had had close encounters. It required full concentration and lots of
leaning the bike twisting between the trees. I loved the big berm corners,
something the day gave me great practice at trying to power through.
Lap one was definitely the best part as the heavens had not
yet opened. The puddles were deep but manageable, the ground gave traction and
the mass of roots were not yet too exposed. But by lap two the conditions
really had worsened, making for some tough survival riding for me.
How did I get on in the timed special? Did the switch to going flat out take some getting my head around or did I just keep it all under control?
I’ve love to say I smashed the timed special tests, but I
would be lying to myself. I did ride them harder than the rest of the track.
Pushing myself to ride faster with more aggression, but I think ultimately by
lap 2 I was feeling so exhausted and the track had turned so nasty that it was
more of a survival. Plus, with my historical injuries [reconstructed shoulder
and hip] I always try to ride within my limits, hopefully to mitigate a nasty
fall. So, I didn’t ride them like a nutter. My times were respectable in the
group, despite a couple of muddy tumbles so I’m proud. I know I can do better!
But that’s the beauty of learning and pushing.
The weather turned a bit brutal (halfway through the storm hit) – how did it affect the riding conditions?
Oh my, the weather. About mid-way through Storm Ciara seriously
upped her game and us riders could feel it. The wind whipped sideways, and on
some sections in a terrifying way. I recall moving about 2m sideways in a split
second and one point, I slowed down! Then there was the rain. The track, which
on lap one had been quite light and fluffy with lovely berm corners…that was
a thing of the past by lap two. Much of the track had turned to a mud pit and
flowing river. With such a narrow course and so many sections seeing trees on
both sides kissing your handlebar guards, it forced everyone to ride in one
line. Digging a deep nasty rut and no way to avoid it. The deep puddles that we
survived in lap 1 were like venus-fly traps just waiting to eat us bikers.
At one point I was stuck, stuck. No way was I getting out on
my own, I just didn’t have the strength no matter how hard I tried. As I stood
there continuing to tug, try leverage, even sticks, I came to realise that I
just didn’t have the strength to get out on my own. But I wasn’t the only one.
A rider would come in. Suction would win, the mud taking
another victim and I’d watch for a few minutes until I knew they had exhausted
their efforts for escape before going over and offering help. Note my bikes
clearly stick behind me… using what little energy I had left I helped get the
first biker free. Covered in mud, and then he just rode off. Oh…maybe be didn’t
see my bike. Second biker, same story, I helped them out and they rode off.
Third biker stuck, yet more energy helping them and he rides off without a
consideration for my bike wheel deep in mud. He didn’t even thank me. Starting
to lose faith in humans, biker four gets stuck… and again I help him. But this
time, he’s Josh Gotts, currently in head to head for 1st place…but
he had the time to stop and help me. It amazed me that the guy with the most to
lose had the time to help me. He reinstalled my faith in our species. Thank you
Josh.
The reality I believe, is not that the guys didn’t want to
return the favour, it was that the time checks given for this event were so ridiculously
tight that they just could not afford to help me. Which is fair enough. I got
out in the end with my knight in shining ‘mud’!
Photo by Vision Off Road Media
What was the worst moment?
My worst moment was on lap two, I’d not seen anyone for ages
and ages… and then it happened. I scouted my line…braaped forwards and boom. I
was air filter deep in a dirty, sludgy, muddy rut. And I wasn’t going anywhere.
I tried to push out with the engine but quickly realised all I was doing was
digging my grave deeper. Tugging at the front I couldn’t even wiggle it and the
back was even worse. I looked about hoping for a glimpse of a marshals bright
yellow off into the trees but there was nothing. No sounds, not engines or
voices. A wave of…oh blimey, I’m stuck in the woods on my own, swept through my
body. Yikes. Thankfully a marshal appeared. My hero.
A second scary moment saw me underneath my bike for about 4
minutes…in the mud. I’d fallen sideways on a muddy rutty corner and my whole
leg was trapped under the bike. My head was downhill in the mud and I was
pinned. Again, silence, not a sole around, I couldn’t even see a darn squirrel,
they were probably smart enough to stay in bed with Storm Ciara. Anyway, I lay
there trying to push the bike off me but at the angle I was pinned. I worked
out that I could just get my heel close enough to push off the handlebars,
slightly lifting the weight off the bike enough to wiggle little by little
until I was free. I was grateful Husky build some solid bar controls! Released,
I picked my bike up relieved to be free and giggling to myself that I was so
pinned… and we rode on. It wasn’t my day to die alone in the woods thankfully.
Was I even worried about a result or was it just a case of getting back to the van?!
I’ve been off roading for maybe 20 months now [spread across
4 years with three hip surgeries…] so for me it was never about winning. I was
there to suck up the experience, progress my riding, enjoy the terrain and push
myself. Saying that, given I was soaked through to my undies having given my
waterproof jacket to a random spectator in a hot sweat, and getting to the
point of exhaustion where I was falling off for almost no reason at all. Total
fatigue had set in, and I was 100% in survival mode. Kicking myself to stay
focused and pushing on. Stopping was never a thought that crossed my mind as I
had set out to finish and I wasn’t going to give in. But oh boy I was looking
forward to making that finish line! It was like I wanted it to end but loved it
all at the same time. It was brutal.
What was the best moment?
Thinking about my best moment, it’s probably the happy faces
on the marshals at each check point. Each time I made one I felt like high
fiving myself inside, so chuffed to be making progress, and the marshals were
always so friendly and happy to see me, reassuring me I was doing great. Maybe
it was my muddy face they were actually just laughing at, but I really enjoyed
their energy and smiles.
I think my second-best moment was lap two, special test two.
I’d done it before, so I knew roughly what was coming…or did I!? I power around
the corner and OMG! There in front of me, entirely crossing the path was a
massive pine tree. It was huge. Probably 30m. Storm Ciara had clearly been
here. My immediate reaction was to get to the other-side, I knew I couldn’t leave
the tapped course to go around it so I went for it. Heart racing, compressing
the suspension, popping the front wheel and brapping. The world almost slowed
down as I popped over it. YES! As I rode away, I felt a huge flood of giggles
inside for having conquered it. I then spent the next minute working out if
anyone had a chainsaw and who saw it come down, how lucky no one was under it.
And then I remembered I was in a race… focus Vanessa!
What were the biggest things you learned?
The obvious one is I need to get a lot faster! But I think
there are three key things I will do before my next race:
Firstly, I would have two sets of goggles as my roll offs
jammed mid lap one leaving me to ride the rest without goggles…which was
actually torture on the road liaison, the rain was like needles to my eyeballs.
Secondly, having someone in the pits to shove some food down
your throat, refuel for you and make sure your goggles are okay. Even if it
just gives me a three-minute chill it would have helped. When you’re slow you
don’t get any rest and so 6 hours with one bite of food was tough.
Thirdly, I need to get stronger! When your bike is stuck in
a bog you need more strength than recovering off a rocky hill side. I’m going
to work on my dead lifts and get stronger. My body weight to bike ratio might
be weakness for me but I know I can get stronger. Time to hit the gym even
harder!
But, I think the most important lesson I learned is that I can
do it. I could dig deep and keep riding. Continuing when I knew the time was
running out but determined not to quit. Carry on even soaked through and
exhausted. It’s an amazing inner drive to make it to the end, even if the end
was timing out with a dnf. I learned that I’m stronger than I imaged before.
Would you do it again?
HELL YES I would do it again. Maybe that’s a sadistic flare deep inside or maybe it’s just the love for riding I have. If we don’t push ourselves, we don’t grow!
If you’re new to my page – it’s more than just dirt bike riding and racing, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is impossible if you want it bad enough. See more about my story plus read about my life changing accident, which started it all.
